


Will You Accept This Rose?

by DeanwillgodownwiththisShip



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, F/F, F/M, M/M, The Bachelor AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-20
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-22 00:29:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6063912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeanwillgodownwiththisShip/pseuds/DeanwillgodownwiththisShip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Destiel 'The Bachelor' AU<br/>In which Sam and Dean got drunk and did a thing. The thing resulted in Dean becoming the next Bachelor.</p>
<p>Because I am trash and there aren't enough Bachelor AUs around so I wrote one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

“Alright Sarah, the car’s ready. This time, when you see a flashing red light on the dashboard don’t _ignore_ it.”

 

Dean Winchester rolled his eyes at the woman in front of him; she shrugged then winked playfully at him.

 

“But Dean!” She exclaimed, “I don’t know anything about cars. That’s what I have _you_ for!” She battered her eyelashes and pretended to swoon.

 

“Get out of here woman!” Dean growled at her, eyes twinkling with mirth. “Seriously though Sarah, if you don’t leave soon my guys won’t get any work done.” He said, looking pointedly at his staff who had abandoned whatever they were doing in order to stare at the beautiful woman.

 

“Keep it in your pants, boys” She called out, the staff quickly pretending they were working the whole time.

 

“See, that’s why I keep you around.” Dean grinned.

 

 

Sarah laughed as she turned and walked out of the shop. She was a regular customer at Winchester Auto. Coming from a family of art dealers, she knew next to nothing about cars. Luckily for her, she had met Dean’s sasquatch of a brother at college and before long, was like a younger sister to the Winchesters and became a regular fixture in their small family.

 

Speaking of the gigantor, Dean’s younger brother entered the shop, stopping to give Sarah a quick peck on the cheek before coming to greet his brother.

 

“Hey Dean.” He grinned, brushing some of his ridiculously long hair out of his eyes. “Class ended early, wanna go grab some lunch?”

 

“Sure thing Sammy, I’ll just grab my phone and we can go.” Dean smirked to himself as he left the room, pausing just outside the door. He listened carefully and after a moment he heard it.

 

“It’s Sam.” His brother muttered quietly.

 

Dean huffed a short laugh. That would never get old.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

“So Dean. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” Sam started, his eyes doing that weird twitchy thing that Dean knew was a dead giveaway that he was nervous about something.

 

“Spit it out little brother”

 

 

“Well… er remember last Christmas when we went to Bobby’s and you got stupidly drunk and started complaining about how lonely you were?” Sam refused to meet his eyes, looking anywhere but at his increasingly suspicious brother.

 

Dean didn’t like the direction this was heading. His brother had a tendency to do incredibly stupid things, even if his intentions were good.

 

“Yeah, I remember that night. Although I don’t remember much of it.” Dean had to admit, he could hold his liquor but that night he drank so much that he was honestly surprised that his liver hadn’t crawled out of his body and walked out on him.

 

“Well, apparently I’d had a bit to drink too and we may have done something that we wouldn’t do sober.” Sam stammered.

 

Now Dean was worried, he was already running through possible scenarios in his head. Had Sam convinced him to free the animals in a shelter like he’d tried to do when he was younger? Surely he’d have noticed by now if he’d gotten a tattoo and he knew for a fact that he hadn’t ended up in jail that night.

 

That eliminated his top concerns. Surely whatever he and Sam had done couldn’t be as bad as any of those things.

 

 

“Youappliedforthebachelor” It was like word vomit. A jumble of words spilling out of his brother’s mouth, Dean didn’t understand a word of it.

 

“You’re gonna have to say that a little slower, Sammy”

 

“Promise you won’t be mad. You were as much a part of this as I was.” His brother was turning bright red, another sign of his guilt.

 

“I was going through the mail earlier and I saw a letter addressed to you. When I saw the return address, I suddenly remembered flashes from that night.” Sam took a gulp of air and continued.

 

“You were so annoyed that you couldn’t find a decent person to date, I remembered you were even more pissed because you had the choice of both men and women and you were still single. Anyway we saw the advertisement on TV and thought it would be a good idea.”

 

“We thought _what_ would be a good idea, Sammy?” Dean asked sharply.

 

“You applied for the bachelor. We sent through an application and everything. Apparently all the times I wrote papers whilst drunk meant I could fill out the application seriously even if I didn’t remember doing it.”

Dean felt the colour drain from his face as he processed what he was being told.

 

“Please be kidding. Sam, please tell me this is some elaborate prank that you and Sarah planned just to freak me out.” Dean practically begged his brother to tell him it was all a lie. Surely even drunk he couldn’t have been stupid enough to apply for a reality show. Worse still, The Bachelor.

 

 

Sam groaned. “I wish I were kidding.”

 

He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Dean.

Grabbing the letter from his brother, Dean scanned its contents. Unless Sam and Sarah went to great lengths to have a letter forged in order to prank him, what Sam was telling him was 100% the truth.

 

Dean Winchester was The Bachelor.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

The following few weeks were crazy for Dean. He was contacted by countless people involved in the production of The Bachelor and he was still trying to figure out how to break the news to all his friends so they weren’t in total shock when the show aired finally made it to air. Plus, he still had to work out how he was supposed to take so much time off work when he had no one to replace him.

 

He’d tried numerous times to bail on the whole thing. He tried to explain that it was all a huge mistake and he wasn’t even interested in being on the show but apparently the network executives loved his audition tape. Yeah apparently he and Sam managed to make one of those while totally hammered. They thought his blue steel impression would be a total crowd pleaser and were now 100% certain he was perfect for the new season.

 

Essentially he was trapped. No way to get out of the mess he’d created. He swore he was never drinking again, although thinking about it; he’d probably need to drink just to make it through this whole shitstorm that was now his life.

 

On the up side, he got to live in a kickass mansion for the duration of the show. So that didn’t suck.

 

 

The doorbell rang, startling Dean out of his thoughts.

 

“Sam! Sarah! They’re here.” He called out, walking to open the door.

 

The host of The Bachelor, Balthazar Roche and his camera crew were coming over to film Dean looking through the applicants and picking the twenty-five women or men who would meet him at the mansion.

 

Sam and Sarah had volunteered to help, Sarah claiming she was a huge fan of the show and wanted to be involved in whatever she could. Sam; on the other hand, was just guilty and trying to make it up to Dean.

 

Either way, he was glad they were there to help. He was especially glad they were there when Balthazar emptied two massive sacks of applications of the table in front of them.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Ok, I need a break” Dean declared, dragging a hand over his face and stifling a yawn. He’d seen more faces and read more profiles than he could handle, and so far he’d only managed to narrow it down to forty contestants.

 

He stood up to go and grab a drink and something to eat when a flash of blue caught his eye from the table. Looking down he grabbed a picture and its attached profile from the pile.

 

“Castiel Novak, 24 yrs old from Pontiac Illinois.” He read. “No way those eyes aren’t Photoshopped.” He scoffed, “no one has eyes that blue.”

 

Still; instead of placing the picture back in the pile it came from, he flipped over to the profile and started to read.

 

“Likes: Reading, animals, cooking and playing piano.” Dean read. “What century is this dude even from?”

 

As he read the profile, Dean was more and more drawn to the unusual man. On paper, they were not even close to being compatible. Castiel seemed to like most of the things that bored Dean to death so it stood to reason that the things Dean enjoyed wouldn’t be Novak’s cup of tea.

 

Yet; for some reason, a reason completely unknown to Dean, he found himself placing the man’s picture in his shortlist.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Today was the day. The last weeks of Dean’s freedom were over. He’d relished the few weeks of peace he’d had while the contestants were contacted and the production team finalised the last bits and pieces before they could start filming.

 

Sadly for Dean it all ended too quickly and he found himself standing out the front of a giant mansion, waiting to meet twenty-five people who would all be fighting for his affection. He didn’t know which of them had accepted their invitation to be on the show, he shuddered to think that some of the people he’d seen in the applications might have gotten to this stage as a wildcard.

 

After he’d gotten settled in his room upstairs in the mansion on a separate floor to the contestants, Dean went downstairs to prepare for the big arrival. He was to wait at the end of the red carpet while the contestants arrived and met him for the first time.

 

It was all a little over done for Dean’s taste. Seriously, red carpets, suits and gowns. What was this? The Academy Awards? But Balthazar assured him it would work, or as he said it “It’ll look spectacular, darling. Just dazzling.”

 

Dean had his doubts about that, but who was he to make that call, he was just a mechanic from Kansas. He wouldn’t know glamour and showbiz if it came up and bit him on the ass.

 

 

“Dean, you ready?” Balthazar approached him, dressed in a well fitting black tux. “The first limo will be arriving soon. So smile, darling. Dazzle them all with those eyes...” his eyes settled on Dean’s lips. “And that gorgeous mouth.” He winked and walked toward the vehicle to open the doors, leaving Dean blushing and feeling objectified by the British man.

 

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it though as the first contestant walked down the red carpet towards him.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

The first cocktail party was nearing its end. Dean had met each contestant as they had arrived in their limos, each one trying to make a lasting impression by serenading him or something equally ridiculous. Who knew meeting people could be so exhausting? Dean noticed Balthazar approaching him; he never thought he’d be so glad to see the smug British man in his life. Balthazar pulled Dean away from the women and men who were batting their lashes and talking over each other, each trying to grab his attention.

 

It was time for him to make the first cut, to pick the final twenty who would stay in the competition, and bid farewell to the first five to be eliminated. There were so many people to meet and try and talk to before the night was over, and Dean barely managed to speak to half of them. He couldn’t remember all their names, though some stood out more than others. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing in some cases.

 

The few contestants that he managed to steal away for a chat were usually interrupted within five minutes by other jealous contestants who had yet to be picked for a private conversation.

 

 

As Balthazar led him to the room that he would stay in until he’d reached a decision about elimination, Dean noticed a solitary figure sitting out by the pool. With hair so black it almost disappeared in the darkness outside, the man looked the image of defeat. Shoulders slumped and head hanging. Dean’s caring and protective instincts kicked in and he stopped in his tracks.

 

“Hey Balth. Gimme a sec will you?” He asked, already walking away from the host.

 

Knowing there was nothing he could do to stop the other man, the host replied “Fine. But hurry! We have a schedule!”

 

 

Dean walked over and sat down beside the other man, careful not to startle him should he jump in fright and land in the water. The last thing the man looked like he needed was to be dripping wet and humiliated.

 

The other man lifted his head and Dean was struck once more by his eyes. Obviously _not_ photoshopped, his mind supplied.

 

Earlier when they’d met on the red carpet Dean was flustered. He’d been just about molested by a feisty brunette called Pamela, given an extremely visual description of all the kinky sex he’d be having with a slightly unhinged looking man called Gordon (it included serious biting and blood play) and then was _actually_ bitten by a blonde by the name of Ruby.

 

Needless to say, Dean wasn’t in his comfort zone by the time Castiel arrived. And judging by the way Castiel had avoided eye contact and blushed furiously every time Dean spoke; he wasn’t too comfortable with the situation either.

 

 

Since their first meeting, Dean was ashamed to say he’d forgotten the other man was at the mansion. He’d had more pressing matters to deal with and some seriously creepy contestants on his hands. Though how he’d ever forgotten those eyes was beyond him.

 

“It’s nice out here.” Dean broke the silence that surrounded them. “Peaceful.” He added, sneaking a look at the other man out of the corner of his eye.

 

“I’m afraid I don’t handle crowds very well.” Castiel replied, his deep, gravelly voice catching Dean off guard.

 

“Looks like you got the right idea though, being out here by yourself.” Dean’s lips quirked up in a small, sheepish smile. “For awhile there, I wasn’t sure if I’d get out alive. Some of those contestants are terrifying to tell you the truth.”

 

He heard a quiet chuckle from the other man, the sound filling him with a warmth that felt like drinking a hot chocolate after being out in the middle of winter.

 

“Why are you here then? I mean at the mansion, if you don’t like crowds?” Dean asked curiously. “If you make it through you’ll have to live with these people for weeks.”

 

Castiel looked at Dean, bushing again though something in his expression looked guilty. “I must admit, this was not my idea.” He said, embarrassed. “My brother Gabriel decided I’d been single for long enough and sent through an application without my knowledge, and certainly without my permission.”

 

Dean bit back a laugh at the look on Castiel’s face, it was clear that he had not forgiven his brother. The exasperation in his voice suggested that it wasn’t unusual for his brother to create trouble.

 

“Hey man, since there’s no camera’s around at the moment I’ll let you in on a little secret.” Dean leant in to whisper in the other man’s ear, paranoid about hidden camera’s and microphones. “My brother and I got unbelievably wasted and signed me up. We didn’t even remember we’d done it until the letter came in the mail.” He shrugged his shoulders as if to say, _what can you do?_

His confession resulted in a loud bark of laughter from the blue-eyed man. The sound making Dean grin even wider and even let out a small laugh of his own at the sheer ridiculousness of their situation.

 

“Dean! I said don’t be long, not take as long as you want. Although blue eyes there is simply _stunning._ ” Balthazar purred, throwing a wink at Castiel.

 

Castiel’s eyes widening he turned an astonishing shade of red, bordering on purple.

 

“Right. Sorry Balth I’m coming now.” Dean smiled at Castiel, “see you later, Cas.”

 

Once they were out of earshot, Balthazar turned to him. “Cas?” He questioned, lifting an eyebrow.

 

“Shut up.” Was Dean’s ever so eloquent reply. Internally he was questioning himself. Cas? It just slipped out, he’d talked to the guy for all of ten minutes and he was already giving him a nickname. Obviously it didn’t mean anything, Castiel was just a freaking weird name. That’s all.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Twenty minutes of staring at a wall of faces, reading profiles and watching tapes of their arrivals to the mansion. Twenty minutes of deep thought all came down to this moment.

 

Before him, stood twenty-five men and women and to his right sat a tray of twenty roses. Dean now had the misfortune to ruin the dream for five contestants and send them home the very same day they arrived.

 

This was going to suck.

 

There were some very clear choices for example; Gordon with the vampire fetish was a definite no, and Ruby wasn’t staying either. Anyone who bit him the very first time they met wasn’t going to work out with Dean. Plus she kinda scared him. She looked at him like he was a piece of meat, come to think of it, the biting made sense now.

 

The others though, were more difficult. He’d had a genuinely hard time working out who to send home and in the end it had come down to which people he’d had the best connection with during the night.

 

 

He took a deep breath and picked up the first rose.

 

“Lisa, will you accept this rose?”

 

The gorgeous brunette walked down from the stairs and kissed him on the cheek. “Yes, I will” she whispered before taking her place to the side.

 

_“Charlie, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Pamela, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Jo, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Bela, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Chuck, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Anna, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Dorothy, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Becky, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Benny, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Maddison, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Meg, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Jessica, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Jake, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Josie, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Tessa, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Michael, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Cassie, will you accept this rose?”_

_“Layla, will you accept this rose?”_

 

 

 

One by one the contestants were called out and the roses were disappearing, until all that was left was one rose and six contestants.

 

Balthazar walked in.

“Contestants, Dean has one final rose. There are six of you. The final name he calls will be the final contestant to make it through to the next stage of the competition. The rest of you must say your goodbyes and leave the mansion. Good luck.”

With those words, he left again, leaving Dean to make his final decision.

 

 

Dean looked at the rose and then back to the six people in front of him, he was confident in his decision even if he couldn’t figure out why it was he felt so strongly. He picked up the final rose.

 

“Castiel, will you accept this rose?” He asked with a small smile.

 

Shock was evident on Castiel’s face as he made his way towards Dean. Clearly he’d been sure he was going to be eliminated, frankly Dean didn’t know why he was so set on keeping him around. The guy never would have been here if it hadn’t been for his meddling brother. But then again neither would Dean. Maybe that was why he was so eager to know the guy, because he didn’t sign up for the show and he wasn’t desperate to please Dean and win his affections, yet somehow he was doing it anyway.

 

Dean hugged Castiel as he took the rose from him, whispering a quick “thank you” in his ear before releasing him and turning to the five remaining people who were to leave the mansion.

 

“Alfie, I’m sorry. You’re a fantastic guy and extremely sweet but I just didn’t feel anything between us. I know you’ll find someone wonderful out there, it’s just not me.” Dean hugged him and sent him on his way, turning to the next person.

 

“Gordon, man I hardly consider myself as Vanilla but I’m nowhere near kinky enough for what you’re into. It just wasn’t going to work out. No hard feelings?” He received an icy nod in return.

 

Shuddering, he met the next person. Who he saw didn’t help his uneasiness after Gordon’s departure. “Ruby, you’re a stunning woman but I think you need to find someone with something more in common with you. I don’t feel it would be fair to keep you here if I didn’t think we would end up going somewhere. Good luck finding the right guy for you.” He was speaking truthfully; he didn’t think she was a bad person, just not the right person for him.

 

She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek before walking out.

 

“Andy and Ava. I’m sorry you had to go so soon, honestly I didn’t even get a proper chance to talk to you tonight. You seem to both be a bit on the shy side and I did find it hard to notice you in the crowd when everyone else was around. That’s hardly your fault and I’m sorry it ended up that way but I do have to choose people to leave and I made some great connections with lots of other people so someone had to go. I hope you guys find someone wonderful, I’m sorry this didn’t work out.”

 

They each gave him a hug and said their goodbyes, he was genuinely sad to see those two go. He felt that given time he might have formed at least a solid friendship with them, but he’d never have that chance anymore.

 

 

Glasses of champagne were passed around to the final twenty. Dean raised his glass, “To the final twenty, welcome to the mansion. Cheers!” He toasted.

 

 

It was going to be a crazy few weeks.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a 14 chapter fic. Each chapter is planned out already and most are completed so I'm working very hard to make sure this doesn't end up an abandoned WIP for those who are worried about that!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please comment or leave a kudos, it truly inspires me to write more!


	3. Chapter 3

 

It was the second day of the competition and Dean was required to choose one person to take on an individual date for a day. The following day he would choose a few people to join him on a group date with a small challenge and the winner of the challenge on the group date would win some quality alone time with Dean.

 

Dean had no idea how he was supposed to fit all these dates in two days, but Balthazar assured him it was completely possible. He’d had a difficult time picking someone for the first individual date, he barely knew any of the contestants which made it difficult to know which of them he’d enjoy spending an entire day with.

 

In the end he’d decided to choose Lisa Braedon. He’d spoken to her a few times at the opening cocktail party and she was a down-to-earth, and surprisingly hilarious woman. Not to mention her smoking hot yoga body. Dean had actually enjoyed their conversations and found himself wanting to spend more time with her. Taking into consideration that Lisa was interested in fitness and was clearly an athletic woman, he’d planned for their date a hike up a small mountain that ended with a picnic at the top where they had a stunning view.

 

Okay so maybe he had some help planning the date, Dean’s idea of a romantic date pretty much included movies and pie. He was pretty low maintenance but when he suggested that idea to Balthazar, the man looked as though he were about to combust. Clearly Dean’s idea of romance wasn’t fit for television.

 

 

Dean had spent the morning down at the beach. Balthazar advised him to spend as little time as possible in the mansion when he was required to make a decision about who to ask on a date, so he’d gone for a walk to keep his head clear and make sure he didn’t change his mind. Around breakfast time, he made his way to the front door. He cursed internally as he realised he didn’t have his key with him and he’d have to get one of the others to let him in. He was poised and ready to knock when the sound of splashing water drew his eyes to the pool. A man was swimming laps, his arms slicing through the water with powerful strokes. He was lean but incredibly toned, his shoulders wide, muscles ripping with each stroke. His body glistened as water ran in rivulets down his back every time he emerged from under water.

 

Dean was captivated, unable to tear his gaze away from the man. He was unable to see the man’s face but his black hair narrowed it down to two possible men: Castiel and Michael. There was something about the way the man moved through the water, so gracefully as though he belonged there.

 

The door swung open in front of him and a chorus of squeals dragged his attention reluctantly away from the pool. He was met with a crowd of women, all dressed and fully made up; looking nothing like they’d just woken up. Clearly his arrival was expected.

 

 

There were still some contestants who hadn’t joined them yet, so Dean was sitting in the kitchen with some of the others drinking coffee while they waited. He was midway through listening (Slash pretending to listen but really he couldn’t care less) to yet _another_ story from Bela about her modelling career when Castiel entered the kitchen. Dean felt himself turning red when he noticed Castiel’s hair was wet and he was wearing a towel and nothing else. Castiel turned to grab something from the fridge and Dean was greeted with the sight of back muscles he wasn’t likely to forget anytime soon.

Looks like he’d found his mysterious swimmer.

 

“Dean!” fingers were clicking in front of his eyes, snapping him out of his daze. “Everyone’s here now.” A pretty blonde named Jo told him.

 

Looking around the room he realised that while he’d been staring at a certain someone’s back, the rest of the contestants had gathered in the kitchen and were now waiting for him to make his first announcement.

 

“Er… Right. Let’s head into the other room then.” He suggested.

 

Once they were all settled, he pulled the date card from his pocket.

 

“They’ll be good food and even better company with a view like no other.” He read. “Lisa, will you join me on this date?”

 

He was met with a massive grin and a hug from the woman in question. “Of course I will!” She replied.

 

He hated the feeling he got when he looked around at the other contestants and saw their obvious disappointment, but there was nothing he could do. Their time would come soon, for now he had to focus on Lisa. And he was really looking forward to their day together.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Dean had lots to think about after his date with Lisa. It had gone wonderfully and he was finding that he really enjoyed being around her; Lisa was one of those women who he found he could talk to about anything. Dean usually had trouble letting himself be looked after by women, he presented them with a tough exterior, all smirks and wisecracks to hide himself. Lisa saw past all his bullshit though. Something about her made him comfortable and he found that he enjoyed that more than he’d expected to.

 

They’d walked up the mountain mostly in silence, saving their breath for the walk. Once they’d reached the top they were struck by the beauty of the view, Lisa’s face lit up when she looked out at their surroundings and Dean found himself unable to look away from her smile.

 

They’d sat down to eat and get to know each other more. That’s when Dean learnt something about Lisa that had him thinking hard about their potential for a future together.

 

Lisa had a son. A ten-year-old boy waiting at home for her. She told Dean that her son was not a secret, she wouldn’t hide him from any man that she dated but she wouldn’t introduce them until she was sure there was a possibility that things would work out. She told Dean that she had to make sure he was okay with her having a son because he was the most important part of her life and any man that couldn’t live with that was no good for her.

 

Dean told her he’d give it some thought, that things like this needed some time to sink in so he knew how he felt about it. She was understanding but obviously worried that she had ruined her chances with Dean. He understood how difficult it must have been for her to tell him, knowing that she could potentially risk going home after the next rose ceremony.

 

Dean had the option of giving her a rose at the end of the date; and as much as he enjoyed being around her for the day, the bombshell she had dropped on him was something he needed to process before deciding if he could deal with it.

 

Dean wasn’t sure if he was ready to be a father figure for a young, impressionable person. He’d lost his father to alcoholism at a young age so he didn’t have much of a role model to learn from. He’d turned out alright but having the responsibility of moulding a child into a good person was something that scared him to death. It was something he needed to work through before having a child.

 

 

 

As he dropped Lisa off at the mansion that evening, he explained his reasoning for keeping the rose. She understood completely which was a further proof to Dean that she was a good person and someone he would seriously consider keeping around. He walked her inside and gathered everyone together to reveal the contestants who would be joining him in the morning for the group date.

 

“Hey guys, I have here the names of the people I would love to join me tomorrow for a group date. I can’t tell you what we have planned but I’m sure you’re going to love it.” He smiled at them all; pleased with the group he’d chosen for the following day’s activities. “Bela, Pamela, Benny, Castiel and Anna. Will you join me tomorrow?” He asked the group.

 

He received nods all round, Pamela’s accompanied by a flirty wink. Bela’s with a somewhat haughty toss of her hair. Anna gave him a sweet smile whilst Benny replied with a quick salute and cheeky grin. Castiel, however just looked confused. Clearly he was still surprised that Dean wanted him around even after finding out he didn’t even want to be there in the first place. The confusion however was followed by a small smile, not so much evident on his face but his blue eyes sparkled with warmth.

 

If Dean hadn’t been paying such close attention he would have never noticed. Luckily he did, otherwise he might have thought Castiel was unhappy about being selected.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

The group date was a photoshoot that included Dean with one or two of the contestants dressed for a different decade in each photo. He had no part in choosing which contestant was dressed for each decade but he was looking forward to seeing what the wardrobe and makeup department produced.

 

The first decade to be photographed was the 1920s. Dean was a gangster; dressed in a pinstriped suit complete with a hat, suspenders, fake gun and cigar. He could totally get on board with the outfit, looking at himself in the mirror he decided he could easily rock the 1920s look.

 

The first two contestants entered the room, Benny Lafitte and Anna Milton. Benny, like him was dressed as a gangster, the man looking every bit the part. By the look on his face, Benny was enjoying his new look. He kept whipping the gun out of his pocket and pretending to take down invisible enemies. His antics had Dean doubled over with laughter.

 

When Dean caught sight of Anna, he could only stare. She was absolutely breathtaking dressed as a Flapper. Fiery red hair elegantly curled and styled into a bob with a beaded headband and feather. She wore a creamy coloured, intricately beaded fringe dress that swayed from side to side as she walked, drawing attention to her beautiful body. Dean was in awe. She looked every bit the 1920s flapper, elegant and graceful with a hint of sass. With that and her sweet but assertive and assured personality, Anna was a definite contender in the competition.

 

Their photoshoot was one that Dean would remember for some time. Benny and Anna were the perfect mix for the challenge, both extremely attractive but genuinely warm and friendly people. With warm smiles and kind eyes they put Dean at ease, instantly banishing the nervous butterflies that had gathered in his stomach when he’d seen them walk into the room. The three of them had the perfect mix of poses for the photoshoot; some intense with the attraction between them almost palpable, and some fun and carefree. Dean’s favourite photo from their shoot was one where Benny the Gangster was pointing his gun at Dean, Anna draped elegantly across his arms as though she had fainted from the shock. There had been a great deal of laughter while they’d been preparing for that photo, Benny growling and pointing his fake gun at Anna while she mock fainted and fell onto Dean.

 

 

The next contestant to walk in was Bela. Dean had to suppress a smile at the look on her face when she approached him, it was clear the model didn’t approve of being dressed as a 1950s housewife. She tossed her hair haughtily and scoffed, “Luckily I’m a professional, none of the girls in there would have been able to pull off this outfit.”

 

Personally Dean had though she looked quite nice with her hair done up in curls with a bow. She was wearing an apron over her dress and was supplied with a fake pie as a prop for the photos. Dean was seated at a table wearing a suit with a charcoal grey waistcoat underneath. He figured most of his outfits would be fairly boring in these photos, but it was the contestant’s who were intended to stand out in this challenge.

 

 

Dean let out a sigh of relief as Bela left the room after their photos were taken. That girl was seriously high maintenance. Nothing was good enough for her. Either the lighting was wrong or her hair was terrible or, Dean’s personal favourite, the angle of the camera made her teeth look too big. He definitely wasn’t confident that he wanted to keep Bela around for much longer.

 

The next person to have their photo taken with Dean was Pamela. Dean was initially intimidated by the woman, she was sassy and confident and somewhat scary at their first meeting, but during the photoshoot Dean found the woman’s cheeky personality and flirty attitude extremely fun to be around.

 

Their photoshoot was the 1970s and Pamela looked every bit as vibrant as her personality in white go-go boots and a bright red dress with big hair and extravagant make up. Every photo was a different kind of fun with Pamela grabbing a sneaky pinch of his ass trying to catch him off guard.

 

Dean definitely felt an attraction to the woman, she was obviously smoking hot, she liked the same music as him and was such an easy person to get along with. He thought it would be interesting to learn more about her as they got to spend more time together.

 

He had one rose to give out after the group date and so far he was having trouble deciding who it should go to. He had completely ruled out Bela already but Anna, Benny and Pamela were all strong contenders and he hadn’t even seen Castiel yet.

 

Dean and Castiel had been given the 1930s as their theme and when Castiel walked into the room, Dean could do nothing but stare. The man looked like he’d stepped out of GQ. His simple, well fitted navy blue suit made his already incredible eyes stand out even more than Dean thought was possible. His usual scruffy head of dark hair had been parted and gelled down neat and flat.

 

As he walked towards Dean he lost balance and stumbled. Rushing forward, Dean reached out to steady the other man before he fell, causing him to fall into him rather than onto the ground.

 

“Sorry!” Castiel exclaimed, “as if I didn’t look ridiculous enough already,” he muttered, refusing to make eye contact with Dean. Sensing the other man’s nerves, Dean offered him a warm smile. “It’s okay, I’ve been doing this all day and I still feel ridiculous. At least I don’t have to pretend to be suave around you.” He winked at Castiel and got a wide grin in return. He felt warm all over when Castiel smiled at him, a real genuine smile at that.

 

After breaking the initial ice, their photoshoot went off without a hitch. Dean had to figure out a way to get his hands on some of those photos because woah were there some seriously steamy ones in there. The photographer was obviously as rapt by Castiel as Dean was, his eyes just burned with an intensity that you couldn’t tear your gaze away from. Dean’s favourite shot was one where he had Castiel in his arms and was staring directly into his eyes. Truth be told, Dean could hardly breathe while they were standing like that.

 

“Hey Cas, can you wait here a second?” Dean asked the other man. When he received a nod in reply, he made his way to the room where he’d been keeping the single red rose he was instructed to give out on the group date. He’d been so unsure all day as to who should receive this rose, but after spending time with Castiel, he knew exactly who it should be give to.

 

Dean almost laughed out loud at the mixture of emotions came across Castiel’s face when he saw Dean approaching with rose in his hand. Honestly the man was an open book. There was confusion, disbelief and shock all within a matter of seconds.

 

Stopping in front of Castiel, Dean held out the rose and looked him in the eye. “Cas, will you please accept this rose?”

 

He received a wide-eyed nod in response, the man obviously too shocked to say anything. Dean chuckled and tucked the stem of the rose through a button hole in Castiel’s jacket before leaning in and whispering in the other man’s ear, “See you around, Cas.”

 

He could have sworn he saw the man blush bright red as he turned and walked away.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Finally the long day was coming to an end. Dean dropped all the contestants off at the mansion and had a few hours to himself before he had to return for the cocktail party and rose ceremony that evening. He took the time to call Sam and tell him about his time as the Bachelor so far.

 

“Sammy!” he greeted his brother cheerfully when he picked up the phone. “Man you’ll never believe the day I’ve had today!” He went on to describe the dates and each of the contestants who’d made a lasting impression. He stopped short of telling Sam about his interactions with Castiel, he wasn’t entirely sure why. Only that something stopped him from telling his brother about the enigmatic man. Perhaps it was something he wanted to think about for himself for awhile, he was certainly drawn to the man but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. He needed some time to think about it and to get to know the other man a bit better.

 

“Sammy, you free tonight?” Dean asked, remembering the cocktail party that evening. “Balth said I could bring you along to the party tonight, he said that meeting the family early would be good television. Whatever, I don’t really care why he allowed it but he did. So can you come?”

 

“Sure Dean. I’d love to meet my potential brother or sister in law” Sam answered with a laugh. “Should I bring some of the baby albums along? Or is it too early for that?” He teased.

 

After threatening his brother with bodily harm and years of embarrassment if you so much as mentioned baby Dean, he hung up and went to get dressed for the party. He was more nervous than he’d anticipated he would be, tonight he had to eliminate another two contestants which was something he hated doing. It made him feel awful watching their faces fall with disappointment when they were left standing without a rose. He hoped he made the right decision that night.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The cocktail party was coming to an end and Dean was about to go and make his decision about which two contestants he would be sending home this week. There were a number of contestants that he’d yet to spend time with. Like Charlie for instance, she seemed like an awesome girl but he just hadn’t gotten around to grabbing her for a chat. He noticed that she appeared to be deep in conversation with another contestant, Dorothy anyway.

 

His brother appeared to be having a good night, Dean had barely had a chance to talk to him with all the people surrounding him at all times, though he’d spotted him a few times deep in conversation with one of the other contestants. Jessica, Dean remembered. She was a sweet girl, gorgeous smile and bubbly personality. It appeared that her and Sam were hitting it off. Dean was glad Sammy wouldn’t be bored at these things; maybe he’d come along more often. Just having him around put Dean more at ease.

 

 

 

* * *

 

Dean had given out sixteen roses and had only two more remaining. The four contestants, Jake, Josie, Bela and Michael stood nervously in front of him, each waiting anxiously to hear their name called out. Well, at least three of them were. Bela, on the other hand had her nose so far in the air Dean would have been surprised if she could see.

 

 

He took a Dean breath, picked up one of the remaining roses and spoke. “Josie, will you accept this rose?”

The redhead let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief before coming down to where he was standing and pulling him into a quick hug.

“Of course. Thank you.”

 

Dean didn’t know much about the woman, she’d flown under the radar so far during the competition but Dean was intrigued by her and felt like he would be making a mistake if he were to eliminate her.

 

He’d not gotten much time with the two guys either, but he’d gotten the impression from what little time he’d spent with Michael, that the guy was pretty arrogant. He seemed to think he was a real hot shot. Dean felt zero connection with him and he was pretty sure that wasn’t going to change. He’d rather give the rose to Jake who at least looked like he was interested in being there.

 

“Jake, will you accept this rose?”

 

Jake grinned and gave him a clap on the back “Sure thing man. Thanks.”

 

Balthazar entered the room.

 

“Bela and Michael, you have not received a rose tonight. Please say your goodbyes and leave the mansion.”

 

Bela clearly hadn’t made many friends in the mansion as she walked straight out the door, nose in the air without saying any goodbyes, to him or the other contestants. Michael stopped to shake his hand before leaving, but there was no real warmth in his eyes. Dean was even more sure he’d made the right choice eliminating those two.

 

Only 18 left…


	5. Chapter 5

 

Dean waited anxiously outside the mansion. He’d chosen Jo for the single date today. He’d immediately liked the petite blonde from their first meeting when she arrived at the mansion and he knew she was the right girl to take on the date that day. They were starting out the day by driving his baby to some nearby stables where they were getting their next mode of transportation to take them to lunch at a winery.

 

Jo let out a low whistle when she saw his care “1967 Chevy Impala, I haven’t seen one is such good condition before. She’s a beauty.” She said, running her hands over the car before looking up at him, “She yours?”

 

“You bet she is.” Dean replied, grinning. He was already impressed by this girl. He was in for a fun day.

 

 

* * *

 

 

For some reason, Dean was under the impression that horses were a lot smaller… like a whole lot smaller. They were on their way to the winery for lunch but Dean hadn’t gotten much of a chance to have a chat to Jo, he was too busy trying to figure out if he was going to fall off the horse if he dared to turn his head to see his date for the day.

 

“Well I’ve already ruined the tough guy image haven’t I?” He joked when he finally felt comfortable enough looking away from his horses’ ears.

 

Jo just laughed. “Oh honey you never had a tough guy image to begin with. It’s sweet that you thought you did though.”

 

They continued to chat as they rode and Dean learnt that Jo lived with her mother who owned a bar. She was an only child and her mother, whilst occasionally overbearing since her dad died, was also her best friend.

 

Dean, in turn spoke about Sam and how he was the most important person in his life. He told Jo about the garage that he now owned and his life back home, suddenly missing his friends at the garage more than ever.

 

Just as Dean expected, Jo was great fun to be around. All through lunch she made him laugh until his stomach hurt. They certainly had great chemistry, she was easy to talk to and she was sweet, but not too sweet as it was clear she could probably kick his ass if she wanted too.

 

Dean picked up the rose that was sitting next to him “Jo, will you accept this rose?”

 

She gave him a soft smile and took the rose from him. “Of course I will, thank you.”

 

 

Dean leaned across the table and gave her a kissed her chastely on the lips. Jo was one to watch. From what he’d seen from her that day, she was everything he was looking for in a girl.

 

 

* * *

 

  

For the group date, Dean was taking Castiel, Lisa, Charlie, Dorothy, Chuck and Meg to a farm to spend the day with all the newborn farm animals before spending the evening around the campfire. Despite his initial worry about being a part of the show, Dean found himself enjoying the dates and looking forward to getting to know more of the contestants.

 

He approached Charlie first. The fiery redhead had caught his attention from the beginning; she was absolutely stunning as well as incredibly intelligent with a sharp wit.

 

They chatted for awhile whilst playing with a foal that had wandered over and Charlie managed to amaze Dean with all her pop culture knowledge. Dean fancied himself knowledgeable about popular movies and books, but he had nothing on Charlie. She was a whole new level.

 

Still smiling from his conversation with Charlie, he made his way over to see Castiel who was feeding a baby lamb.

 

“Heya Cas. How’s it going?”

 

The other man looked at him with the startled expression he seemed to always wear when Dean approached him, like he was shocked that Dean was taking the time to talk to him when there were other people around.

 

“It’s good, this lamb is very sweet.” Castiel said softly. “Dean, why did you not send me home last rose ceremony? And then ask me on this date? I told you it wasn’t my idea to be on the show, you shouldn’t waste time with me when there are serious contestants here.”

 

“And I told you, Cas that I’m also not here by my own choice. I think you’re cool so I’m going to keep you around until I know for sure whether or not we could be something great.”  


“Unless of course you want to leave. I’d never stop you from leaving if you didn’t want to be here anymore.” He hurried to add, suddenly concerned that he might have been keeping the other man there against his will.

 

He saw a small smile cross Castiel’s features.

 

“No, Dean. I’m perfectly happy where I am. Thank you.”

 

Wordlessly, Dean handed over the rose he’d been carrying around all morning. Castiel’s mouth dropped open in surprise, but he took the rose with a wide smile.

 

They sat in silence, continuing to pat the lamb until it was time for Dean to speak to the other contestants. He couldn’t help but let his mind drift during the rest of the day to thoughts of Castiel’s smile. He was definitely keeping him around.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

That evening, Dean and the contestants were toasting marshmallows around the campfire. There had been a brief game of truth or dare because a campfire just wouldn’t be the same without it. He’d learnt some interesting things about his dates during that game. Most interestingly though was the discovery that Castiel had made out with his professor from university once. Thanks to Meg asking him who his most inappropriate crush was.

 

Dean had been speechless for at least ten minutes after that discovery.

 

 

Speaking of Meg, she’d been making eyes at Cas for the entire evening. Or so Dean thought anyway, maybe he was imagining things. Maybe she just batted her eyelashes that much normally? It was probably nothing.

 

He’d just finished having a conversation with Lisa who he hadn’t spoken to much since their single date the previous week, when he noticed something interesting.

 

Charlie had been sitting next to Castiel, but had moved to sit next to Dorothy. _Really_ close beside her. If Dean’s eyes weren’t deceiving him, he could see some flirty touching going on. Dean was a pretty smooth flirter and he could recognise the moves.

 

And Charlie? She was laying _all_ the moves on Dorothy. Who was clearly not rejecting her advances.

 

Dean decided it was time to have a little chat with the two of them. Calling them over to sit with him away from the rest of the group, he began. “Guys, I saw you flirting pretty heavily with each other. Don’t deny it, I know those moves Charlie.” He winked at her to let her know he wasn’t mad.

 

“If you two do have feelings for each other, that’s completely okay with me. I’m happy that you two found each other, really I am.”

 

Charlie was the first to speak. “I like you Dean, I really do. But I think what I’m feeling is a little more brotherly and I’m no Cersie Lannister so that really isn’t my thing.”

 

Dean laughed at the comparison. “I consider myself more of Tyrion Lannister to be honest with you, handsome and witty. But seriously, if you guys want to leave the competition I’m sure we can work something out.”

 

The girls looked at each other “We would. Thank you Dean. And sorry it didn’t work out.” Dorothy said.

 

It was clear she was trying to look sorry but she kept sneaking glances at Charlie and blushing, honestly those two were so adorable. It was a miracle they’d managed to hide it for that long.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The cocktail party was the worst part of the competition. Seriously, how could you call it a cocktail party if there was no music, and no food. Worst. Party. Ever.

Plus he had contestants following him around all night trying to fight for time with him.

 

Well, it was almost over at least. He’d talked to all the people he needed to talk to, and now all that was left was the rose ceremony.

 

Balthazar entered the room.   


“I’m sure you’ve all noticed that there are two contestants missing. Dorothy and Charlie have left the competition. Together. As in a couple together. First time for everything on The Bachelor right? Alright Deano take it away.”

 

“As Balthazar so tactfully put it, Charlie and Dorothy have left. They’ve decided to try dating each other rather than me, which is totally cool. I’m not hurt or offended…” He laughed. “No I’m kidding. I’m really happy for them and I wish them all the best. Now let’s get this rose ceremony started.”

 

Castiel and Jo were safe, having both receiving roses on the dates. Charlie and Dorothy had left, meaning there was only one person leaving the competition that night.

 

He had two roses remaining and standing in front of him was Becky and Tessa.

He didn’t know either woman particularly well but he’d spoken to Tessa during the cocktail party and she’d mentioned she wasn’t really ready to move on from her Ex that she still held feelings for. If she wasn’t ready to date another person, there was nothing he could do about that. Dean thought his choice was pretty clear.

 

“Becky, will you accept this rose?”

 

The perky blonde shrieked and ran down the stairs, throwing her arms around him. “Yes! Yes! Of course!”

 

Only 15 left…

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

Dean hated that he was getting the hang of the routine of the show, he could imagine the guys from the garage watching the show and taking the piss out of him. Honestly, he still felt like laughing most of the time, but he was Dean freaking Winchester and he didn’t half-ass anything, so he would do the show and give each person the attention they deserved from him. Who knows, maybe he would find love? He snorted, god he sounded like Sammy now. The younger Winchester had wholeheartedly jumped on the Bachelor bandwagon now that he’d met some of the contestants and Dean was having trouble getting him _out_ of the mansion.

 

His single date this week had been with the saucy brunette Pamela. He’d decided to take her salsa dancing, and as he’d predicted, it was right up her ally. Turns out she’d been taking classes a few years ago but life got in the way and she’d been too busy to continue them. Needless to say, she put him to shame on the dance floor. He didn’t even want to think about his mates watching that episode.

 

Despite the dancing fiasco, Dean had a fantastic time with Pamela. The woman was feisty and insanely flirty but with a good heart and a kind soul. She was exactly Dean’s type and he didn’t even hesitate when he handed her the rose at the end of their date.

 

* * *

 

The group date that week was a baking masterclass. Balthazar thought it would be a brilliant idea to have the contestants bake for him and the winner would receive one on one time with Dean. The idea was ridiculous but Dean wasn’t one to pass on free food. He’d selected Jess, Benny, Madison, Jake, and Anna to join him on the date, what he wasn’t aware of until he arrived on the date was that he was expected to bake too.

 

Dancing and baking, two things Dean Winchester certainly did not do.

 

It was a disaster, there were eggs dropped on the ground, salt mixed in instead of sugar and one nasty incident with a dishtowel and the stove. Dean was covered head to toe in flour, courtesy of Jess who instigated a flour fight but still managed to produce a flawless chocolate cake, complete with icing roses. The girl was a domestic goddess, he wasn’t sure she was even real. No one could be that perfect. Needless to say, Jess received the one on one time. Dean took her to a quiet room while they ate her amazing cake. Jess definitely wasn’t real, that was the conclusion that Dean reached. She was stunning, witty (honestly the girl cracked some seriously dirty jokes), and the sweetest person Dean had ever met. He wasn’t sure if he was feeling romantic feelings for her just yet but he knew he had to keep her around. Jess received the second rose of the week.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Once again, like clockwork the rose ceremony was upon him. A night of constant chatting, no food and far too much alcohol to be a good idea. He had a fair idea of who was going home this week, Maddison was distant during the date, never quite getting in on the action and making no effort to talk to Dean. He tried to spend some time with her but it felt like he was dragging the conversation out of her. She didn’t seem interested and Dean would rather give the rose to someone who wanted to be there. As for the second person to be eliminated, Dean was pretty sure it was going to be Jake. The guy seemed nice but they had nothing in common and it he felt no feelings for the other man, nor did he think he’d develop any.

 

With the hard decisions made, Dean wandered around the mansion looking for someone to chat with to pass some of the time before the rose ceremony. He saw Becky sitting alone but kept walking, she was a nice girl but boy was she a bundle of energy. Dean wasn’t sure he had it in him to talk with her.

 

He found Cas sitting by the pool, his favourite spot judging by the number of times Dean had found him there.

“Heya Cas.”

The other man looked up in surprise. “Hello Dean. I hadn’t expected to see you much tonight. I thought you’d have plenty of intense thinking to do.” His voice sounded serious as always, but Dean had learnt to read the subtle twinkling in his eyes that suggested he was joking.

“Come on Cas, surely you know by now that all my serious thinking is done shirtless at the beach with twelve cameras following me.”

 

His stomach flipped when Castiel let out a throaty laugh. Well, that was new. Apparently the man had more effect on him than he’d realised.

 

They talked for awhile longer, Cas telling Dean about his third graders and the day to day antics of his classroom. The other man came alive when he talked about his class, his gestures grew and he began to speak with his entire body, it was obvious Cas was extremely passionate about his job. When Cas ended his last story about a kid and his run away rat in the classroom, Dean jumped in, bringing up the story that had plagued his mind since he’d heard it.

 

“So you mentioned _something_ about your time at Uni the other night on the group date, but it wasn’t about what you studied.” The other man turned bright red at the mention of his secret that had come out in a game of truth or dare.

 

“I was inebriated.” The other man admitted. “It was entirely my brother’s fault and it was not my proudest moment.”

 

Dean laughed, it was clearly out of character for Cas. That’s what made it all the more hilarious. He’d like to meet this brother, sounded like they’d get along. “Aw Cas it’s ok man, everyone does stupid shit at uni. I woke up one morning in my underwear in the middle of the main courtyard with absolutely no idea how I got there. Still don’t remember to be honest.”

 

For the first time that Dean could remember, he felt completely at ease in the company of someone he barely knew.

 

 

 

 

Balthazar glided across the floor towards Dean.

“There is one rose remaining and three contestants. One of you will receive Dean’s final rose and the other two will be asked to leave the mansion immediately. Over to you Dean.”

 

As always, Dean fought to keep a straight face. Honestly no one needed the math explained, but without fail Balthazar would spell it out for them.

 

“Right. Well this wasn’t easy; in fact it’s getting harder each week. Unfortunately there are just some people I didn’t really connect with. You’re all wonderful people and I hope the two people who leave tonight will find the happiness they deserve.”

 

“Josie, will you accept this rose?”

 

 

 

 

Only 13 left..


	7. Chapter 7

It was painfully obvious that Dean was not in charge of organising this date. Balthazar said his dates were something along the lines of “distasteful” and “boring television” which meant that for this week at least, the planning was out of Dean’s hands. Which is why he was getting ready to take a date _ice skating._ Nothing about Dean screamed “Ice Skater” so the entire idea of the date was fairly hilarious.

 

As for the lucky son of a bitch who would join him in the humiliation, well, that would be Castiel.

 

For some reason, when Dean thought about who he wanted there with him while he fell on his ass on the slippery ice, all he could see was Cas. The other man’s blue eyes sparkling with one of his rare smiles as he watched Dean make an utter fool of himself.

 

 

 

“Dude, of course you’d be good at this.” Dean huffed from the ground where he’d landed yet again. He’d secretly been hoping that Cas would be as terrible at it as he was, unfortunately for him, the man was a natural.

 

Cas glided around on the ice while Dean shuffled along pitifully, clinging to the railing for dear life. The other man was nothing but kind, stopping beside Dean on his way around and offering his arm as a substitute for the railing.

 

Unfortunately for Cas, that resulted in Dean pulling them both down as he fell.

 

“I think we’ve had enough skating for one day.” Cas decided, reaching down with one hand to help Dean up and rubbing at his backside with the other. Dean was more than happy to agree, his ass couldn’t take one more fall anyway.

 

The next part of the date was something Dean hadn’t done for anyone in a long time, far longer than he cared to admit. He was taking Cas back to his place and cooking him dinner. Dean didn’t consider himself a good baker, but he could cook decently, in fact he made a mean burger. He hoped Cas wasn’t a vegetarian or he was screwed.

 

 

“Oh my god.” Cas moaned and Dean thought the sound was almost pornographic. “I think this is the best burger I’ve ever had. Ever.”

Dean grinned, his reputation for the best burger was clearly not in jeopardy. Thankfully Cas was _not_ a vegetarian and was clearly a fan of the burgers Dean made. It was nice to see the other man more relaxed and at ease in Dean’s company.

 

It felt like they’d known each other forever when in reality it was the first few hours alone they’d spent together. Something about Cas was was so familiar to Dean, he felt so easy to talk with and open up to. Dean found himself discussing his family which was usually a definite no go zone for a first date. The Winchester family history was a wild ride and could be slightly off putting to a stranger. But Cas had listened intently as Dean described the night of his mother’s death and his father’s subsequent spiral into a dark place which ultimately lead to his death too. Dean looked up, expecting to see Cas shutting down and getting ready to bail, instead he was met with clear blue eyes, concerned but supportive and ready to listen more if Dean was willing to keep going.

 

So he did.

 

He told the other man about his brother and how he’d basically raised him, they moved on to lighter topics as Dean talked about his brother and his achievements in life, beaming with pride. Cas noted that Dean had done an admirable job of raising his brother and Dean felt a warmth spreading through his chest.

 

Cas described his brother in more detail, mentioning that his brother also raised him though he didn’t explain how that came to be. Dean didn’t pry, he was sure he’d find out when the other man felt ready to tell him.

 

All too soon the evening was over and the car arrived to take Cas back to the mansion. Before he left, Dean presented Cas with a rose. He couldn’t imagine not giving it to him after the evening they’d had. His cheeks hurt from smiling and he was sure he looked like a fool, grinning at Cas and pecking him shyly on the cheek hoping Cas wouldn’t mind.

 

From the pink tinge on the other man’s cheeks, Dean thought he probably didn’t mind at all.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Dean was very much looking forward to the group date this week, he was taking Cassie, Layla, Chuck, Jo, Lisa, Josie, Anna and Becky to an amusement park. They had the entire place to themselves and he was looking forward to an afternoon of good childhood fun. Dean was pretty confident he’d picked the right group for this date.

 

He was pretty spot on.

When they arrived he was met with excited squeals from Becky whilst Jo and Lisa ran straight to sideshow alley, giggling like children whilst trying to win at the laughing clowns.

 

Anna had found the petting zoo when Dean went to catch up with her, she was feeding some goats and had managed to get a piece of straw in her hair. Dean took a photo and showed her, the two of them dissolving into laughter when another goat came up behind her and ate it right out of her hair.

 

He rode a rollercoaster with Layla, Josie and Cassie and went with them to get some food afterwards. It was nice to spend some time with those three as he hadn’t had the chance on most of the other dates. Josie was feisty but a lot of fun and Dean enjoyed her company whenever he was with her. Layla was quiet most of the time but sweet and had a kindness about him that Dean couldn’t quite ignore, he was intrigued by her and looked forward to hopefully getting more opportunities he spend time with her. As for Cassie, the other woman was extremely intelligent and Dean liked that about her, she was switched on and had opinions on everything. Unfortunately that was also her downfall in Dean’s opinion, she was stubborn as anything and her opinions were not to be challenged. Which is how Dean found himself arguing with her over whether a bi-sexual man could seriously date a man. She refused to acknowledge that Dean had in the past had feelings for both men and women and was open to be in a serious relationship with a person from either gender should he fall in love with them.

 

The concept wasn’t difficult to grasp and she was getting on his nerves. He wasn’t sure Cassie was going to be sticking around for much longer.

 

 

 

After the argument with Cassie, he met up with Chuck and Becky. Becky was holding a giant teddy that Chuck had won from the darts game in sideshow alley; she was beaming from ear to ear. Dean was so glad most people seemed to be having a good time.

 

The entire group hit the bumper cars to finish off the date, it was the perfect way to end and almost perfect afternoon. There was squealing, laughter and lots of crashes and Dean was having the time of his life. It hardly felt like he was on a reality show, in that moment he was just having fun with an amazing group of people.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Cocktail party time once again. After the group date, Dean was fairly sure he knew who one of the people he was sending home was. He was thinking about the second person when Balthazar found him.

 

“Deano, surprise twist this week. Only one person is being eliminated. The network said something about the show needing to run for longer now that they’d cancelled something else, to be honest darling I was hardly listening. They’re such a bore those executives.”

 

Well, that news certainly made life easier.

 

 

With one rose left and two constants in front of him, Dean made the choice.

 

 

“Meg, will you accept this rose?”

 

 

Only twelve to go…


	8. Chapter 8

The single date this week had gone to Benny. Dean was really excited for the date, Benny was such a great guy and Dean had a lot in common with him. He’d decided to take the other man skydiving, it was something he’d always wanted to try. Ok so that was bullshit. That was what Balthazar was making him say in the pre-recorded interview. The truth was, he was absolutely shit scared of heights and flying, so skydiving was the stuff of nightmares. Dean had no idea what Benny thought of the idea but he hoped the other man wasn’t nearly as terrified as he was. His main concern was trying to look as manly as possible whilst shitting himself thousands of feet in the air. On camera.

 

Turns out Benny was a complete adrenaline junkie and he’d been skydiving three times before. He was thrilled about the date. Dean, on the other hand, not so much. Embarrassed, he’d admitted to Benny that he had a crippling fear of heights. It turned out to be the best thing he could have done. Benny talked him through the entire thing, from the take off of the plan to the actual jump. They weren’t able to tandem jump together but Benny made sure Dean went first so he didn’t freak out by himself and not jump. Benny was amazing, Dean felt so supported the entire time, he really hadn’t been sure he’d be able to go through with the jump but thanks to Benny he did and it was amazing. He felt so exhilarated, for a few moments he was weightless without cares or troubles. He could see why Benny kept going back for more. Not that he was in a hurry to go in a plane and then throw himself out of it again any time soon.

 

After the jump, Dean took Benny out for lunch. They talked for hours about everything from families, to cars and even Benny’s wildest adventures (he’d bungee jumped in Africa once. That was one thing Dean was never doing). Before he knew it, they were being ushered into the car and taken back to the mansion, Dean hardly knew where the time had gone, just that he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself. Benny was walking up to the front door when Dean remembered the rose.

 

“Shit! Benny hold up.” He jumped out of the car and met Benny on the steps. “I forgot to ask you something.” He held out the rose.

 

“Will you accept this rose?”

 

Benny grinned.

“Thought you’d never ask.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The group date was a whale watching cruise. It was something Dean had never had the chance to do so he was really looking forward to the experience. He’d chosen Meg, Layla, Pamela, Anna, Chuck and Cas to go on the date.

 

Dean was spending time with Pamela when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Meg sidling up to Cas up the back of the boat. She put her hand on his arm, throwing her head back in laughter and something Cas said and Dean felt his stomach clench. He turned away, trying to rid the pair from his thoughts, who was he to judge, he was hardly being exclusive to any of them. They could flirt with whomever they felt like.

 

Anna was by far the standout on the date, Dean felt himself gravitate to her. She was so alive in the moment, beaming at him when she spotted the first whale. She admitted to him that she’d never been out on the ocean much before since she lived so far away from any coastline. She was having the most amazing time, telling Dean random facts she’d learnt about whales from a documentary she watched. Dean found he couldn’t keep the smile off his face while they talked, she was so animated and excited about the date but most of all she was easy to talk to.

 

Dean tried to spread his time amongst the contestants easily to give himself the most time to get to know each of them. Unfortunately Layla seemed more interested in photographing the whales, going so far as to turn away from him mid-conversation to continue snapping photos. Chuck, as usual was in his own world, staring off into the distance, only speaking when directly spoken too. And Meg, well if she flipped her hair in Cas’ direction one more time, Dean thought he might accidentally push her off the boat. She’d even gone as far as to interrupt his time with the other man to ask Cas to sunscreen her back.

 

Either Cas was the most oblivious guy or he was really into her, because she was pulling out some classic moves and they were not subtle in the slightest.

 

Dean wasn’t sure where Cas’ head was at. But he did know one thing.

 

It was time for Meg to go.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Layla, Meg and Chuck stood before him. He held the final rose in his hand.

“All three of you came on the group date this week. Unfortunately two of you will be leaving the mansion tonight.”

 

 

“Chuck, will you accept this rose?”

 

 

He looked at the two women in front of him; Meg had a sour look on her face he noted with satisfaction. He snuck a look at Cas to see how he’d reacted to Meg’s elimination. As usual the other man’s face was unreadable. Either he had the best poker face or he really wasn’t bothered at all by Dean’s decision.

 

“Layla, you didn’t seem interested in talking to me at all on the group date, the whale watching was amazing but the whole point was for me to get to know you better and I really didn’t get a chance. Unfortunately you didn’t receive a rose tonight. I’m so sorry.”

 

As Layla said her goodbyes he turned to Meg.

 

“Meg, I’m not really sure what you’re looking for here but I really don’t think it was me. I didn’t think we really connected at all and I think you feel the same way. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

 

She gave him a stiff one-armed hug, which said more than if she’d spoken and he felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

 

Two more contestants sent home.

 

 

 

 

Only ten left…

 

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

This was a date Dean was looking forward to. Jessica Moore was somewhat of a mystery to him. He’d spoken to her a few times on group dates and cocktail parties and she was incredibly sweet. But it was Sam who really talked her up. Every time he saw his little brother now it was “Jess this” and “Jess that” apparently the girl was amazing, she’d obviously done something to get his brother’s panties in a twist.

 

Dean had decided to take her out to a fancy restaurant for lunch. That was his decision… the helicopter ride there? That was all Balthazar. He really wasn’t helping Dean impress any of the contestants, because flying? _So_ not one of Dean’s favourite things to do. He’d be lucky if he could even manage a conversation with Jess whilst clutching the armrests in a death grip.

 

Yeah thanks for that one Balth. Way to make him look good in front of the gorgeous girl.

 

His limo pulled up in front of the mansion where Jess was waiting by the front door. She offered him a shy smile as he opened the door to the limo. Best make a good impression now while he was still on solid ground.

 

They made idle chitchat in the limo on the way to the helicopter pad, Jess was very sweet and polite, but Dean noticed she didn’t seem 100% invested in their conversation. He hoped it was just the nerves and she would warm up to him as their date continued.

 

 

The helicopter flight was as bad as Dean had imagined, although on the bright side, it had seemed to loosen Jess up a bit. She’d spent the whole ride giggling at his fear of flying, letting him grab her hand and hold on for dear life. Her smile truly was dazzling, that was one thing he did notice in between fearing for his life.

 

The feeling of being back on solid ground was the greatest thing Dean had ever experienced, at that point he’d almost go as far as to say it was better than pie. He didn’t make that claim lightly, pie was very important to him.

 

They sat down for lunch, Jess chatting happily about her time travelling the world after university. She was a journalism major so travelling was a major part of the job.

 

Dean told her about Sammy and his garage, but mainly about his brother. Damn he was proud of that kid. He was in law school now. Sometimes he had to pinch himself when he thought about how successful his little brother had become. _Law school!_ Incredible. He always knew the kid would be brilliant.

 

Jess must have seen the pride written all over his face, because a soft look crossed her features and she smiled. Dean wasn’t sure if he was imagining that the smile looked a little sad.

 

“You’re really love him don’t you?” She asked.

 

“He’s all I’ve got. And he’s the best little brother anyone could ask for.” He replied, truthfully.

 

Sometimes when he was having the crappiest of days, all it took was a phone call from Sammy to turn the whole day around. Sure he was still pissed that Sam got him into this whole Bachelor mess, but he wouldn’t trade his little brother for anything in the world.

 

Talking to Jess was easy, so simple. The words just poured out of him and kept on coming. They talked about anything and everything, she was pretty much everything he could ever want in a girl.

 

But godamn he just wasn’t feeling anything more than friendly towards her. He didn’t even want to kiss the icing sugar that clung to her lips after desert.

 

What was wrong with him? She was gorgeous, smart, funny and sexy as hell and felt nothing. Zilch.

 

At least, he mused. She didn’t seem too into him either. They had a great time together but he had no desire to take things further. It physically hurt him to let a catch like her go.

 

“Jess.” He began. “You’re incredible. You really are, you’re everything a guy could want. And so help me I cannot figure out why I don’t want it! But I don’t. The feelings a have towards you are purely platonic and I just don’t see this being anything more than a friendship.”

 

As he spoke he became even surer that he was doing the right thing.

 

“I really do like you a great deal, but I think we’d be lying to each other if we thought this could go anyway. It’s for this reason; I’m not giving you a rose on this date. It doesn’t mean you’ll be going home at the cocktail party, but it also means you aren’t safe for this elimination. I really hope I haven’t hurt you because that was the last thing I ever wanted to do.” He was speaking the truth, hurting her was something he never wanted to do. She was far too good for him anyway.

 

He studied her for a reaction. At first there was nothing, then… was that _relief?_ He couldn’t be sure but it looked like she was actually relieved that he had rejected her. He tried not to take it personally; after all he’d basically just rejected her.

 

Then, she beamed. She got up and came towards him, throwing her arms around him and hugging the life out of him.

 

“You’re kickass, Dean. But you’re right, this would never be more than a friendship. Thank you for having the balls to admit that and not lead me on. You’re pretty fantastic yourself.”

 

Feeling lighter than he had all day, Dean took her back to the mansion. The conversation in the limo flowing with the sort of ease that only comes from getting everything out in the open.

 

* * *

 

 

This group date was one Dean was really excited about, it was going to be a fantastic day and he had been looking forward to it since he’d told Balthazar about his idea.

 

One thing people never guessed about Dean was that he adored children. It didn’t really fit his image as a gruff mechanic, but he loved kids. They always gravitated to him for some reason and he found that he was really good at looking after them.

 

So for the group date he decided to take Cas, Benny, Chuck, Becky and Jo to the local children’s hospital to spend the day reading to the kids and playing with them. He knew it wasn’t the most fancy or romantic date but the people he’d picked to come with him were some of the people he knew would have their heart in the right place and would really enjoy the date.

 

Sure, he had his reasons for bringing them to meet the kids. He wanted kids one day, that much he knew for sure. But he needed to know if the person he could potentially end up with was on the same page about that. But mainly he just wanted to brighten up some kid’s day by giving them some company and new people to play with.

 

 

He was blown away by the enthusiasm that the contestants showed when they were interacting with the children. Jo was knee deep in the sand pit, building some truly impressive sandcastles and making mud pies on the side, surrounded by about 12 kids who were obviously smitten with her. Dean couldn’t contain his laughter when the children decided to try and get her to take them for piggy back rides by just climbing onto her back, four at a time.

 

Chuck was drawing pictures with a small group of children, they were a much calmer bunch of kids, quite content to sit quietly drawing while the others made a racket outside with Jo. He suspected that they were just shy and once they’d warmed up to Chuck he’d see a different side to them.

 

Becky was face painting at another table, she was extremely talented. Dean watched as she transformed a kid into a dragon. The kids were thrilled with her work, soon she had a line a mile long of kids requesting all kinds of bizarre things to be painted on their faces. Dean could tell she was loving every minute of it. He found a spare moment when the kids were occupied to sit down and have a chat with Becky, she was a lovely girl and very genuine. But Dean felt that they were just so different. They didn’t have anything in common and he struggled to keep the conversation flowing. He hoped he’d get another chance to talk to her later in the date to see if she was just nervous and determine if there was something between them.

 

Benny had a bunch of boys gathered around him playing video games and yelling at the screen when they crashed their cars. Dean didn’t want to ruin their concentration so he’d talk to Benny later on. He’d spoken to the other guy frequently at cocktail parties and they got along like a house on fire. He clicked with Benny; the guy was so laid back and easy to get along with. He always enjoyed his chats with Benny. He was a strong contender at this point.

 

He scanned the room looking for Castiel, when he didn’t see an unruly mop of black hair anywhere he went looking for the other man. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.

 

Castiel was in a single room with a little girl, he was lying next to her on the bed with her head resting on his chest while he read to her. The Secret Garden, Dean saw, was the book he was reading. The little girl was intrigued, he could tell by the look on her face. Cas was smiling softly while he read to her, occasionally tenderly brushing a lock of hair out of her face.

 

It was such a beautiful scene to behold and Dean couldn’t bring himself to look away just yet.

 

“That’s Audrey.” A voice behind him spoke quietly.

 

He turned to see one of the nurses standing behind him, giving him a small, sad smile as she took in the scene.

 

“She’s got leukaemia. She’s been here longer than any of the other kids. She’s too tired to go out and play and her immune system is so weak it’s not safe for her to be exposed to so many germs.” The nurse looked so emotionally drained, as though watching this child suffer was physically painful for her.

 

Dean couldn’t imagine how difficult her job must be.

 

“Her father left them, when she got sick.” Her words sounded bitter. “Said it got too hard for him. Now her mother is struggling to pay bills and is working so much she hardly ever finds time to visit. Audrey’s a strong girl, but you can see she struggles when the other kids have visitors and she’s all alone.”

 

Dean’s vision started becoming blurry. How could a father do that to his child, his beautiful little girl who was fighting just to keep breathing. It disgusted him.

 

“Your friend is doing a wonderful thing for her. She’s smitten by the looks of it.” The nurse sounded genuinely grateful that Castiel had chosen to spend time with her.

 

He supposed if you saw the kids every day and cared for them for months, you’d grow attached and care for them as though they were your own. Again, he thanked whatever powers above that his brother had grown up happy and healthy.

 

In the end, he never got a chance to talk to Cas on the group date. He wasn’t even too worried that they never spoke, the image of Cas reading to the little girl still so clear in his mind. He’d catch up with him later at the cocktail party.

 

He’d decided to give Jo the rose at the group date, as amazed as he was by Castiel; Jo had really impressed him on the date. She was clearly in her element surrounded by kids and she was glowing with joy the entire time. They’d had a good chat and he found himself even more drawn to the young woman.

 

He didn’t need to give the rose to Cas anyway, after that date there was no way he was sending the other man home.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Dean needed a break. The cocktail party was in full swing, and with it came each contestant vying for one-on-one time with him. The constant smiling even when he was desperately fighting the urge to roll his eyes was getting to him. He needed a moment alone to breathe and relax his facial muscles without the camera’s being on him.

 

He snuck into the study, the only room in the house besides the bedrooms that didn’t have cameras in it. Closing the door softly behind him as to not alert anyone of his whereabouts, he turned around and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

 

Only to notice he wasn’t alone in the room.

 

He felt like he was intruding on a cosy study date. Two heads were bent close together as the two people looked down at a book on the table in front of them.

 

One of them was unmistakably his gigantor brother. The other, much to his surprise was Jessica.

 

They still hadn’t noticed they weren’t alone in the room. He cleared his throat make his presence known.

 

Startled by the noise, the couple jumped apart, turning to look at him with guilt written all over their faces.

 

He didn’t know what to make of the situation. He didn’t have any feelings for Jess, but it was still a shock to see her so cosy with his little brother.

 

“Sammy, can I have a word in private please?” He asked his brother.

Jess quickly left the room, giving them some time alone to talk.

 

“What did I just walk in on?” He asked, needing his brother to tell him the truth and not make up some excuse. He wasn’t angry, but he needed to know.

 

“Jesus, Dean I’m so sorry. “ Sam started. “I know Jess is supposed to be here to date you and I’ve screwed that up for you. But there’s just something about her you know? Something I can’t stay away from.”

 

The truth was, Dean didn’t know. He never got that intense need to be around Jessica all the time, to learn everything there was to know about her and more. He didn’t feel any of those things that his brother was talking about.

 

“I can try Dean. If you really like her I promise I won’t stand in your way of happiness.”

 

 

Dean was gobsmacked. Once again his brother blew him away with his selflessness. He was willing to give up his chance at love, so that Dean could have his? His brother was just too good to be real. He deserved so much better.

 

“Sammy, no I won’t ask you to do that.” It was clear from the look on his brother’s face that giving up Jess was killing him on the inside.

 

“Truth is, I don’t feel those things for her. I see the way her entire face lights up at the mere mention of her name. I don’t get that joy when I see her or think about her. She’s a fantastic girl, but she’s not for me.”

 

He could see his brother relaxing with every word he spoke.

 

“Bring her back in here and we’ll talk about where we go from here.” He winked at his brother. “And Sam?” His brother turned back to face him. “Nice work little bro.”

 

Rolling his eyes, but barely managing to hide his grin, his brother went to find his girl.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Well, that had been an eventful cocktail party. For once he actually knew who he was going to send home, that was a welcome change. He’d spoken to Jess and they’d decided that she would leave the competition and try dating Sam for real. Obviously it wouldn’t be as easy as that, there were contracts to sign and rules to abide by, but they’d deal with that as it came.

 

He made his way into the room where the contestants stood, waiting to see whether or not they were going to receive a rose or not. Jo stood to one side, beaming at him, rose in hand. He noticed some of the other contestants eyeing Jess curious about her lack of a rose. Dean caught her eye and raised his eyebrows questioningly, making sure she was still happy to go through with it. She winked playfully back, setting his mind at ease once and for all. Time to get this over with.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

He had one rose left. In front of him stood Jess, Becky and Chuck. Picking up the rose, he turned slightly to face Chuck.

 

“Chuck, will you accept this rose?”

 

Looking like he was seconds away from passing out, Chuck gave a shaky nod as he collected his rose; clearly he was expecting to be leaving the mansion.

 

Becky was watching Chuck walk back to the group, tears streaming down her face. Dean couldn’t help but notice she hadn’t looked at him once since finding out she’d be leaving the competition. She hadn’t taken her eyes of Chuck. He wondered if there was something going on there that he wasn’t aware of.

 

Balthazar strolled back into the room.

 

“Becky and Jess, I’m sorry but you’ve been eliminated from the competition. Please say your goodbyes and exit the mansion.

 

With a quiet thank you whispered in his ear from Jess, and a slightly watery smile from Becky, they were gone.

 

 

 

 

 

Only eight to go...

 

 

 


End file.
